Developing type 2 diabetes is for a large part influenced by your diet but also genes. However, a recent study has now shown that your gut microorganisms might also play an important role in the risk of developing type 2 diabetes (T2D). The article published in Nature Genetics entitled “Causal relationships among the gut microbiome, short-chain fatty acids (SCFA’s) and metabolic diseases”, claims evidence that bacterial metabolites such as SCFA’s are able to influence insulin levels and increase the risk of getting T2D.

Various studies have suggested that increased SCFA production benefits the host by exerting anti-obesity and antidiabetic effects, however, results of different studies are not always in agreement. Moreover, there is also evidence that increased production of SCFAs in the gut might be related to obesity, due to energy accumulation. Resolving these conflicting findings requires a detailed understanding of the causal relationships between the gut-microbiome and host energy metabolism, and the present study contributes to this.

The authors analyzed data from a large population study based in Groningen (The Netherlands), comprising 952 individuals with known genetic data, as well as information on parameters associated with metabolic traits such as BMI and insulin sensitivity. In addition, data were acquired for the type and the function of the bacteria which were present in the gut of the study participants. Combining this data, the authors tried to answer the question of whether changes in microbiome features causally affect metabolic traits or vice versa?

A technique called Mendelian randomization (MR) which is increasingly accepted to establish cause-effect relationships in the onset of diseases was applied. The primary outcome of the analysis was that host genes influence the production of the SCFA butyrate in the gut, which is associated with improved insulin response in the blood after an oral glucose tolerance test. In addition, abnormalities in the production or absorption of propionate, another SCFA, were causally related to an increased risk of T2D.

So far available data suggest that overweight humans or those with type 2 diabetes may have different microorganisms in their gut compared to healthy people. These microorganisms which are commonly found in healthy people are absent from the T2D patients. Whether the differences in the microbiota between healthy and T2D patients are an effect of the disease development or account for causality is challenging to be answered. With the data from the present study, authors are able to go one step further and demonstrate potential routes by which microorganisms are able to regulate our metabolic status underlying their importance for our wellbeing.

Collectively the present article suggests that production of bacterial SCFA’s play a pivotal role in the regulation of metabolic traits such as blood insulin levels and are associated with the onset of T2D.

Since the study was observational and did not include any T2D patients, confirmation of the results is essential. Follow up studies including T2D patients would be highly informative. With the rising prevalence of obesity in adults, which is reaching epidemic levels, the prevalence of T2D will also continue to rise. In the past years, scientists have mainly focused on the role of human gene data, but this has not led to major breakthroughs. Perhaps knowledge of the microbiome will elucidate molecular mechanisms which can be translated to novel effective treatments for metabolic disorders such as T2D.

Why do some people have a higher craving for carbohydrate-rich and junk-food than others? Why are weight-loss programs more effective in some individuals than others? And why are some people more physically active?

The dopamine system in the brain plays an important role in regulating how much you eat and whether or not you gain weight. When this system does not function optimally, people have a higher craving for junk-food, lower physical activity, and unsuccessful body weight control.

There are two mechanisms that determine food-related behaviour.

The more direct, homeostatic, mechanism constantly surveys the body’s energetic needs and holds them actively in balance. That is homeo-stasis.

The second non-homeostatic mechanism determines the way humans, and other animals, react to food: how willingly and often they will consume it again, and whether they feel anticipation or craving for it.

These behaviours are both largely regulated by the neurotransmitter dopamine, a chemical that conveys information in the brain. Once released by one nerve cell it binds to a receptor, a large molecule on the surface of the adjacent nerve cell, thus changing its functioning. A major component in eating-related behaviour is the dopaminergic D2 receptor (DRD2) that is most abundantly localized in striatum, a brain region activated by food anticipation and consumption1.

The function of the dopaminergic system affects eating and weight-related problems in four ways.

First, in some people, the dopamine system reacts more vigorously in response to food.

Second, this response leads to increased eating and possibly obesity.

Third, overeating and obesity lead to less efficient dopaminergic signaling.

Fourth, this lower dopaminergic signal needs to be compensated by more intense behaviour e.g., more eating2.

For example, in people with lower levels of dopamine D2 receptor, cravings for carbohydrate-rich food and junk-food are more prevalent3,4.

Furthermore, individuals with lower levels of DRD2 receptors may benefit less from long-term weight loss programs and are less effective in weight maintenance8,9. Thus, dopamine affects body weight via choice of foods, physical activity, and body weight reduction efficacy. Despite the reasons for food-cravings, part of the solution is acknowledging and managing these impulses. Conscious action towards weight-reduction will lead to less pronounced food-cravings, which in turn leads to favourable solution of weight related problems10.

We have discussed the association between ADHD and obesity in our first blog (https://newbrainnutrition.com/adhd-and-obesity-does-one-cause-the-other/), briefly summarized, evidence from various study designs suggested that shared etiological factors might contribute to the above association. Recently, a large genome-wide association study (GWAS) on risk genes for ADHD reported a significant genetic correlation between ADHD and a higher risk of overweight and obesity, increased BMI, and higher waist-to-hip ratio, which further supported that there could be genetic overlap between obesity and ADHD (1).

Considering the previously described occurrence of unhealthy dietary intake in children and adolescents with ADHD in our second blog (https://newbrainnutrition.com/unhealthy-diets-and-food-addictions-in-adhd/), along with the fact that bad eating behaviours are crucial factors for the development of obesity, We can speculate that the shared genetic effects between ADHD and unhealthy dietary intake may also explain the potential bidirectional diet-ADHD associations. Is there any available evidence to support the above hypothesis?

To date, dopaminergic dysfunctions underpinning reward deficiency processing (or neural reward anticipation), was reported as a potential shared biological mechanism, through which the genetic variants could increase both the risk for ADHD and unhealthy dietary intake or obesity. Via the Gut-Brain axis, a two-way and high-speed connection, the gut can talk to the brain directly. According to the study (2), a higher proportion of bacteria that produce a substance that can be converted into dopamine was found in the intestines of people with ADHD than those without ADHD. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), they further found that the participants with more of these bacteria in their intestines displayed less activity in the reward sections of the brain, which constitutes one of the hallmarks of ADHD. We are therefore proposing the idea that there could be a biological pathway- ‘dietary habits-gut (microorganism)-reward system (dopamine)-ADHD’, through which the shared genetic effects between ADHD and unhealthy dietary intake may play a role.

In order to determine whether the genetic overlap between ADHD and dietary habits actually exists, we will in our next Eat2beNice project use twin methodology and unique data from the Swedish Twin Register. We will keep you updated!

This was co-authored by Henrik Larsson, professor in the School of Medical Science, Örebro University and Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institute, Sweden.

Every child knows: sugar is bad for the teeth. Nutrition with a high amount of sugar does not only put you at a risk of dental cavities but also affects your physical and mental health, mood and memory.

Sick? Current researches associate sugar consumption with overweight and obesity, which increases the risk of various subsequent illnesses: diabetes type 2, cardiovascular diseases (risk for stroke and heart attack), dementia and cancer. (1)

Sad? In a study on patients with diabetes type 2 the level of blood sugar was manipulated. When the blood glucose was elevated (> 16,5 mmol/l) participants had a reduced energetic arousal and felt more sadness and anxiety (2).

Stupid? In a study on healthy adults memory skills and blood sugar levels were measured. Participants with higher blood sugar levels showed worse memory performance than adults with lower glucose levels. This difference was mediated by structural changes in the brain (3). Another study found that high blood sugar levels within the normal range (> 6.1 mmol) were associated with 6-10% loss in brain volume. The loss effected hippocampus and amygdala -areas that are important for learning, memory and cognitive skills (4).

The WHO recommends the intake of less than 10% or even better less than 5% free sugars of the daily total energy intake. For an adult that means less than 25 grams (6 teaspoons) per day (5). The problem is: there is a high amount of sugar in products where we don’t expect it.

So here are some tips to avoid sugar:1. Pay attention to the ingredients list: There are many names to cover the total amount of contained sugar in products. Everything ending with “-ose” or “syrup” is sugar. The position on the list indicates the relative amount of a compound, so producers often mix different sugars in order to “hide” them at the end of the ingredients list. In “light” products the missing fat is often replaced by sugar. Better base your nutrition on staple foods like whole-grain food, fruits and vegetables to avoid hunger pangs as a response to changes in blood sugar level.
2. Avoid ready-made products such as pizza, sauces, soups or ketchup. You might be surprised how much sugar they contain! Also, many cereals and yoghurts contain high amounts of sugar. Prepare it yourself: Use unsweetened yoghurt and add your favourite fruits.
3. Step by step: Reduce your sugar intake slowly to be successful in the long term. For example, day by day put a bit less sugar into your coffee to get used to it.
4. Save on baking sugar: Just use less than stated in the recipe – it tastes just as good.
5. Replace sugary drinks with water or unsweetened teas. Add lemon, mint or pieces of fruit to your water.
6. Make it something special: If you don´t buy sweets you will be less tempted by them. It may be a good rule to eat cake and cookies only on special days or with friends.
7. Size does count: A small treat, when eaten attentive, will satisfy you better than the whole chocolate bar you consume while being absorbed by reading the newspaper, watching a movie, or driving your car.
8. Avoid sugar substitutes: Honey, agave syrup and fruit extract, etc have the same effects as refined sugars. It’s healthier to get used to less sweetness.
9. Experiment with spices: Instead of sugar, spices such as cinnamon, vanilla or cardamom can enhance flavor.
10. Eat fruits: Satisfy your sweet tooth with fruits instead of sugar.
Get to know the natural taste of your food 😊

Shortened version:
1. Pay attention to the ingredients list: Everything ending with “-ose” or “syrup” is sugar. In “light” products the missing fat is often replaced by sugar.
2. Avoid ready-made products such as pizza, sauces, soups or ketchup. Also, some cereals and yoghurts contain a relatively high amount of sugar.
3. Save on baking sugar: just use less than stated in the recipe – it tastes just as good.
4. Replace sugary drinks with water or unsweetened teas. Add lemon, mint or fruits to your water.
5. Avoid sugar substitutes: Honey, agave syrup and fruit extract, etc have the same effects as refined sugars. It’s healthier to get used to less sugar.
Get to know the natural taste of your food 😊

We have talked before about how ADHD has been associated with obesity and the mechanisms implicated on it. I would like to explain more about this important subject so you can understand what dietary changes you can make to avoid the risk of weight gain. Most of the authors attribute the presence of obesity in ADHD individuals to disorder eating patterns, especially overeating, that means that these people are eating a higher amount of calories per day in comparison of individuals without ADHD. When a person consumes more calories or food than their body needs they start to gaining weight and this happens to all kind of people, I’m not talking only about those who have ADHD, and that becomes a health problem.

Nevertheless, there is a recent study that suggests that ADHD-obesity relationship was linked to unhealthy food choices, rather than overeating behavior (1). This means that ADHD individuals are eating the same amounts of calories per day as healthy ones, but their food choices are not good enough to meet the dietary recommendations and can lead to nutritional deficiencies that have been observed on these patients (2,3). These kinds of patients tend to eat more processed meat, unhealthy snacks, and refined cereals; instead of consuming healthy food choices like vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts, and fish.

We can suggest that this problem it may be due to the fact that there is a lack of information related to nutrition, so it is easy to get confused on which food products are healthy and which are not.

When you go to the supermarket, you will find a lot of food options that have a label that says “light” or “healthy,” and you may buy them without analyzing if they are genuinely healthy.

So the question is “how can you know if a product is healthy or not?”

First of all, you should opt to buy fresh products such as fruits, vegetables and fish (foods that are rich in vitamins and minerals needed to maintain our mental health in good shape). And avoid consuming fast, packaged or canned food because these kinds of products contain a lot of sodium, sugar, fat, preservatives, additives and components that in high amounts can lead to health issues.

Second, if you need to buy food products that are packaged or canned, you should be able to read and understand the nutritional information and ingredients before you buy them to be sure they are the healthiest options on the market.

Here I share an example on what to search on nutrition facts labels of food products to make the right selection.

This was co-authored by Josep Antoni Ramos-Quiroga, MD PhD psychiatrist and Head of Department of Psychiatry at Hospital Universitari Vall d’Hebron in Barcelona, Spain. He is also a professor at Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona.

Real time measurements of intestinal
gases: a novel method to study how food is being digested

Researchers in Wageningen (The
Netherlands), have been able to identify for the first time, how gut microorganisms
process different types of carbohydrates by measuring in real time the intestinal
gases of mice. This is not only a novel method to understand how food is
digested but could also tell us more about the role of gut microorganisms in
gut health.

Intestinal gases

The intestinal microbiota is a diverse and
dynamic community of microorganisms which regulate our health status. The
advancement of biomolecular techniques and bioinformatics nowadays allows
researchers to explore the residents of our intestines, revealing what type of microorganisms
are there. However, studying only the microbial composition of an individual
provides limited insights on the mechanisms by which microorganisms can
interact with the rest of our body. For example, far less is understood about
the contribution of the gut microorganisms in the production of intestinal
gases such as hydrogen, methane and carbon dioxide through the breakdown of
food and how these gases affect the biochemical pathways of our bodies.

Intestinal gases consist mostly of
nitrogen, and carbon dioxide, which originate primarily from inhaled air. Hydrogen
and methane though, are produced as by-products of carbohydrate fermentation
(break down), by intestinal microorganisms. However, not all carbohydrates are
digested in the same way. For instance, food with simple sugars can be rapidly absorbed
in the small intestine unlike complex carbohydrates such as fibers, which reach
the colon where they are digested by the colonic microbiota.

Measuring hydrogen in mouse intestines

To study these interactions and gain
knowledge on how microorganisms process carbohydrates, the research team led by Evert van
Schothorst from the Human and Animal Physiology Group of Wageningen University
(WU) in collaboration with the WU-Laboratory of Microbiology fed mice two
different diets with the same nutritional values but with different types of carbohydrates
(1). The first diet contained amylopectin,
a carbohydrate which can be digested readily in the small intestine while the
second diet contained amylose, a slowly digestible carbohydrate that is
digested by intestinal microorganisms in the colon.

Animals fed the easily digestible carbohydrates
showed minimal production of hydrogen whereas the group fed with the complex
carbohydrates presented high levels of hydrogen. Moreover, the two groups were
characterized not only by distinct microbial composition (different types of
bacteria present) but also distinct metabolic profiles (short chain fatty acids),
suggesting that the type of carbohydrate strongly affects microbial composition
and function.

The importance of
hydrogen

Hydrogen consumption is essential in any anoxic
(without oxygen) microbial environment to maintain fermentative processes. In
the intestine it can be utilised through three major pathways for the
production of acetate, methane and hydrogen sulphide. These molecules are
critical mediators of gut homeostasis, as acetate is the most predominant short
chain fatty acid produced in mammals with evidence suggesting a role in inflammation and obesity (2). Methane, which is produced by a specific type of microorganisms,
called archaea, has been associated with constipation related diseases, such as
irritable bowel syndrome(3) and also recently with athletes’ performance (4)! Finally hydrogen sulphide
is considered to be a toxic gas, although recent findings support the notion
that it also has neuroprotective effects in neurodegenerative disorders such asParkinson and Alzheimer diseases (5).

To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that food-microbiota interactions have been studied continuously, non-invasively and in real time in a mouse model. Hydrogen is a critical molecule for intestinal health and understanding its dynamics can provide valuable information about intestinal function, and deviations in conditions such as Crohn’s disease or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common neurodevelopment disorder characterized by inattention or hyperactivity–impulsivity, or both. It might seem paradoxical, but many studies indicate that individuals with a diagnosis of ADHD suffer from overweight and obesity. Therefore, it is important to understand the underlying mechanism that put individuals with ADHD at risk for obesity.

Evidence from within-individual studyA systematic review and meta-analysis (1) based on 728,136 individuals from 42 studies, suggested a significant association between ADHD and obesity both in children/adolescents and adults. The pooled prevalence of obesity was increased by about 70% in adults with ADHD and 40% in children with ADHD compared with individuals without ADHD. However, due to the lack of longitudinal and genetically-informative studies, the meta-analysis was unable to explain the exact direction of association and the underlying etiologic mechanisms. There are several potential explanations:

ADHD causing obesity: The impulsivity and inattention components of ADHD might lead to disordered eating patterns and poor planning lifestyles, and further caused weight gain.

Obesity causing ADHD: Factors associated with obesity, for example dietary intake, might lead to ADHD-like symptoms through the microbiota-gut-brain axis.

ADHD and obesity may share etiological factors: ADHD and obesity may share dopaminergic dysfunctions underpinning reward deficiency processing. So the same biological mechanism may lead to both ADHD and obesity. This is difficult to investigate within individuals, but family studies can help to test this hypothesis.

We will further investigate these possibilities in the Eat2beNICE research project by using both perspective cohort study and twin studies.

Evidence from a recent within-family studyRecently, a population-based familial co-aggregation study in Sweden (2) was conducted to explore the role of shared familial risk factors (e.g. genetic variants, family disease history) in the association between ADHD and obesity. They identified 523,237 full siblings born during 1973–2002 for the 472,735 index males in Sweden, and followed them until December 3, 2009. The results suggest that having a sibling with overweight/obesity is a risk factor for ADHD. This makes it likely that biological factors (that are shared between family members) increase the risk for both ADHD and obesity.

Evidence from across-generation studyGiven that both ADHD and obesity are highly heritable complex conditions, across-generation studies may also advance the understanding of the link between ADHD and obesity.

A population-based cohort study (3) based on a Swedish nationwide sample of 673,632individuals born during 1992-2004, was performed to explore the association between maternal pre-pregnancy obesity and risk of ADHD in offspring. The sibling-comparison study design was used to test the role of shared familial factors for the potential association. The results suggest that the association between maternal pre-pregnancy obesity and risk of ADHD in offspring might be largely explained by shared familial factors, for example, genetic factors transmitted from mother to child that contribute to both maternal pre-pregnancy obesity and ADHD.

Together, based on previous evidence from various study designs, there is evidence to suggest that the association between ADHD and obesity mainly is caused by shared etiological factors. However, future studies on different population are still needed to further test these findings.

ADHD is among the most common psychiatric disorders, with ~3% prevalence in adulthood and ~5% in childhood. ADHD has a high risk for comorbid conditions. Comorbid means that one psychiatric disorder often comes together with another psychiatric disorder. For instance mood, anxiety and substance use disorders have high comorbid rates in adults with ADHD.

Adults with ADHD are also at risk for obesity and major depressive disorders and adolescent ADHD predicts adult obesity: 40% of adults with ADHD are also obese. These are worrying numbers. Many adults who have ADHD suffer from these negative consequences that come with their mental illness.

There is a growing body of scientific evidence of the powerful effects of nutrition and lifestyle on mental health. Exercise is one of them.It helps prevent or manage a wide range of health problems and concerns, including stroke, obesity, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, depression, a number of types of cancer and arthritis. Besides that, regular exercise can help you sleep better, reduce stress, sharpen your mental functioning, and improve your sex life. Nearly all studies revolve around aerobic exercise which includes walking, jogging, swimming, and cycling.

Recent research shows that exercise might also have a positive effect on ADHD symptoms such as improving attention and cognition1,2 Additional research is needed to explore this effect further, but we can take a look at the mechanisms underlying this effect.

One of the parts in our brain that is affected by exercise is the prefrontal cortex. The prefrontal cortex plays an important role in controlling impulsive behavior and attention, and is positively influenced by exercise. Furthermore, dopamine and norepinephrine play an important role in attention regulation. Ritalin, among one of the most well-known medication for ADHD, also increases levels of dopamine.

When you exercise regularly, the basis levels of dopamine and norepinephrine rise, and even new dopamine receptors are created. These dopamine levels are also the reason why exercise therapy can be effective for people suffering from depression: low levels of dopamine are a predictor of depressive symptoms.

Taken together: people with ADHD are at risk for obesity and depression. Exercise has a positive influence on obesity, depression and ADHD. Wouldn’t it be great if we could treat people with ADHD with an exercise therapy?

The PROUD-study is currently studying the prevention of depressive symptoms, obesity and the improvement of general health in adolescents and young-adults with ADHD. PROUD establishes feasibility and effect sizes of two kinds of interventions: an aerobic exercise therapy and the effects of a bright light therapy.

Participants follow a 10 week exercise intervention in which they train three days a week: one day of only aerobic activities (20-40 min) and in two of these days, muscle-strengthening and aerobic activities (35 – 60 min). An app guides them through the exercises, and the intensity and duration of these exercises increase gradually. During a 24 week course changes in mood, condition, ADHD symptoms and body composition are measured.

I am really looking forward to the results of the effectiveness of this intervention in adolescents and adults with ADHD. It is great that this study tries to alter a lifestyle instead of temporarily symptom-reducing options. A healthy life is a happy life!

Inflammation is the response of the body’s immune system against external factors that can put your health in danger. When this system feels it is attacked by something that may harm your health, it activates some molecules that are called cytokines in order to neutralize or avoid any damage so you can be safe.

Why is inflammation bad? What does it do?

Inflammation isn’t bad by itself, since its purpose is to protect our body. In some cases however, when the duration of this response is extended for too long- I’m talking about years- it can cause harmful effects to your health. Especially, it can affect the brain by active transport of cytokines throughout this organ.

Neuro-inflammation may occur if this process continues past early stages. Neuro-inflammation plays an important role in the development of mental diseases such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism, schizophrenia, depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder (BD), and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), where elevated levels of inflammation have been found(1).

What causes inflammation?

Inflammation can occur by different factors. Some of them could be: pathogens, injuries, chronic stress, and diseases like dermatitis, cystitis or bronchitis to mention a few.

Nutritional factors like overweight and poor diet quality can also trigger this process by increasing fat accumulation in our cells and damaging them (2). The exact mechanisms that are involved in these processes are still in research.

What decreases inflammation?

Research has found that adhering to a healthy diet, like the Mediterranean diet, characterized by high intake of fruit, vegetables, whole grains, fish, lean meats and nuts, can decrease inflammation and protect you against depressive symptoms and anxiety (3,4).

There is evidence that prebiotics, probiotics and synbiotics (a combination of prebiotics and probiotics) can also help lowering inflammation. In addition, you should avoid eating pro-inflammatory foods that have been found to increase the risk of inflammation, and with it mental disorders. Some of these are refined carbohydrates, beverages with a lot of sugar added like soda, juice and sports drinks, processed meat and foods high in saturated fats (5).

What are anti-inflammatory foods

Anti-inflammatory foods are the contrast of pro-inflammatory foods. These are foods that have been found to promote or induce low levels of inflammation in our body, which may protect us against neurological disorders. Briefly, these foods include fruits, vegetables, olive oil, fish and spices like curcuma (turmeric).

Here’s what YOU can do to minimize inflammation and improve your mental health.

This was co-authored by Josep Antoni Ramos-Quiroga, MD PhD psychiatrist and Head of Department of Psychiatry at Hospital Universitari Vall d’Hebron in Barcelona, Spain. He is also professor at Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona.

How many total food-and beverage-related decisions do you make in one day? Have a guess!

You reckon more than 15 decisions per day?! Congratulations! You are closer than the average (14.4) of 139 participants who were asked exactly the same question in a study by Wansink and Sobal (2007). However, you might still be far off. Let’s have a closer look at the study.

Being aware of the impact nutrition has on our physical and mental health as well as brain functioning, you might expect people to make well-considered food decisions. Wansink and Sobal (2007) aimed to answer the two following questions:

Are we aware of how many food-related decisions we make?

The results are clear, indicating a large degree of unawareness regarding the number of daily food decisions. The participants underestimated the number of food-and beverage-related decisions in a day by more than 200 decisions. We make an estimated 226.7 food decisions each day. Were you close? The authors conclude that we often engage in mindless eating which results in a lack of control of our food intake. There is a need to increase the awareness of the decisions we make regarding what, when and how much we eat to promote a healthy lifestyle.

These findings raise the question which factors determine our food decisions if we don’t. One potential factor that should be considered is our environment which was addressed in the second question of the study.

Are we aware of the environmental cues that lead us to overeat?

To shed light on the second question the authors analysed data from four studies in which participants were either assigned to the control condition or a so-called exaggerated treatment condition. Environmental factors such as package size, serving bowl and plate size differed for the two conditions. In each study participants in the treatment condition served/prepared/consumed more food than the control group (between 29 and 53 % more). Afterwards the 192 participants of the treatment group were asked “How much did you eat compared to what is typical for you?” Across all four studies 19 % said “less” and 73 % “about the same” as normally. Just 8 % were aware that they consumed more. Afterwards they were informed about the environmental cues and asked a second question: “In this study, you were in a group that was given [a larger bowl]. Those people in your group ate an average of 20%-50% more than those who were instead given [a smaller bowl]. Why do you think you might have eaten more?” Interestingly, 21 % still claimed they did not eat more. 69 % justified the greater food intake with being hungry and 6 % with other reasons. Just 4 % admitted that the environmental cues influenced them.

These findings highlight the unawareness or denial of the influence our environment has on us and our food intake. However, they can be used as a starting point to improve our nutrition. Changing your immediate environment to make it less conducive to overeating can help you improve your health. Start with putting the sweets just a bit further away from you.

Further information on how to make your environment less conducive to overeating you can find in the book “Slim by Design: Mindless Eating Solutions for Everyday Life” by Brian Wansink (https://www.slimbydesign.com/book)

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